The 2013 Assembly Bill 1, regarding the mining permitting process, sits on a table during a public hearing on the proposed legislation at the state Capitol in Madison last month.

A mining bill that proponents say will spur job growth and opponents say will harm the environment is scheduled for committee votes Wednesday in the Assembly and Senate of the Wisconsin Legislature.

Redrawing state regulations on mining in an effort to provide an economic boost to northern Wisconsin has been at the top of the to-do list for Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans in the Legislature.

Democrats have been lukewarm to the idea and don't want to turn the permit process into a rubber stamp for big money at a big cost to the environment.

Some of Democrats' concerns were borne out last week when it was reported that Gogebic Taconite, a company that would like to operate a $1.5 billion iron ore mine in northwestern Wisconsin, asked for modifications before the bill was introduced last month.

Allowing the company that would stand to benefit from regulations that are streamlined to have input on the language of the bill gives the appearance of impropriety. It makes it seem like a one-sided effort done for the benefit of big business.

The environmental concerns are real and can't be discounted as alarmist viewpoints and those raising the concerns should not be derisively dismissed as "tree huggers." The jobs created by this mine will be temporary; the damage to the environment could last for centuries. Therefore, these worries should not be simply shoved aside in the pursuit of the quick buck.

At the same time, an economic injection to an area of the state where unemployment is high and the household salary is low is something that needs to be taken seriously, too, and can't be written off as a money grab. The concerns of those who are struggling to get by economically should be taken just as seriously.

The issue is not going away as long as the natural resource remains in the ground. A similar mining bill came up for a vote last year and Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, cast the lone Republican vote against it because of environmental concerns.

With a big majority in the Assembly and an 18-15 majority now in the Senate, the Republicans have more than enough votes to pass whatever legislation they propose.

But simply pushing through changes to the mining law should not be a one-sided goal. The goal should be creating a workable bill that protects the environment while providing jobs. Whether both of these ideals can be met is the tough job the Legislature has to do.

In the meantime, allowing one side to whisper into the ears of those drafting the legislation gives the appearance of favoritism and will only make a final solution tougher for the public to swallow. That's the same public legislators should answer to and the same public that would hold their fate come election time.